General Scott eBook

This report was forwarded by the Secretary of War
to both houses of Congress, and the immediate result
was that Congress, on March 3, 1813, passed an act
of retaliation. In May, 1813, at the battle of
Fort George, a number of prisoners were captured.
Colonel Scott, being then chief of staff, selected
twenty-three to be confined and held as hostages.
He was careful, however, to entirely exclude Irishmen
from the number. Eventually the twenty-three
men sent to England were released, and Scott took
great interest in securing their arrearages of pay
and patents for their land bounties.

The doctrine of perpetual allegiance had always been
maintained by the British Government, and examples
were numerous of the arrest or detention of prisoners
claimed as British subjects. After this act of
Colonel Scott no other prisoners were set apart by
the British to be tried for treason.

These transactions gave rise to discussion of the
question throughout the country and in both houses
of Congress. President Madison, and Mr. Monroe
as Secretary of State, took strong ground against the
British claim. While subsequent treaties were
silent on the question, the right is no longer asserted
by Great Britain, and has been recognized by treaty.
Colonel Scott then returned to Washington.

CHAPTER II.

Scott ordered to Philadelphia—­Appointed adjutant general with the
rank of colonel—­Becomes chief of staff to General Dearborn—­Death
of General Pike—­Leads the advance on Fort Niagara—­Anecdote of
Scott and a British colonel—­Commands the expedition to
Burlington Heights—­March for Sackett’s Harbor—­Meets a force at
Cornwall—­Retreat of Wilkinson—­Scott appointed brigadier
general—­Attack on and surrender of Fort Erie—­Battle of
Chippewa—­Lundy’s Lane and wounding of Scott—­Retreat of the army to
Black Rock—­Fort Erie—­Visits Europe.

From Washington Colonel Scott was ordered to Philadelphia
to take command of another battalion of his regiment.
In March, 1813, he was appointed adjutant general
with the rank of colonel, and about the same time
promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment. Notwithstanding
his command of the regiment, he continued to perform
staff duties. At this time General Dearborn was
in command of the American forces at Fort Niagara,
consisting of about five thousand men. In May,
Colonel Scott, with his regiment, joined General Dearborn,
and Scott became chief of staff. He first organized
the service among all the staff departments, several
of which were entirely new, and others disused in
the United States since the Revolutionary War.
On the British side of the Niagara was Fort George,
situated on a peninsula and occupied by British troops.
Just previous to Colonel Scott’s arrival at Niagara
an expedition was landed from the squadron of Commodore